Time makes us realize
by Yuoaj009
Summary: A return to the past goes terribly wrong after XANA managed to mess up the program. All Lyoko warriors end up in a different place at a different time, day and year! Why did XANA plan this? What is his purpose? And what will happen to our heroes? YxU and some OxAxJ. Rated Kplus, (or Kplus to T). Adventure/action/romance.
1. Chapter 1: Another attack

**Author's note: I certainly did not intend to steal or use somebody else's ideas. Besides I came up with the concept of this story by staring at the three different clocks during Physics. I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!**

Chapter 1: Another attack

As usual Jeremy and Odd were sitting on the bench. Jeremy typed away on his laptop and Odd thought about how to avoid the two girls he dated, or used to date, from now on that is. Because they both found out about the other one dating same guy as she was. Odd concluded that he would bother his best friend with his dilemma. And just then Ulrich came, walking towards them. But he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Hey buddy what's on your mind?" Odd said. "Oh nothing, just thinking about something Yumi told me." Ulrich said. "Really?"Odd said curiously, "what did _she_ tell you?" Just as Ulrich was about to answer his question, Odd started talking again. "I am in big trouble and I wondered if you could do me a favour." he said. Once again before Ulrich could response, he was interrupted by a shouting Jeremy. "Guys, activated tower. We need to go, now! Where are Aelita and Yumi?"

Meanwhile with Aelita...

Aelita received a message on her phone: _SOS XANA! Jeremy_. Aelita had finally some time for herself, but as usual the quiet moment was ruined by XANA. "Aren't we ever going to beat XANA and free my father for good?"Aelita thought. She started running towards the factory and met Yumi at the entrance of the sewers. "I got the message from Ulrich." Yumi said trying to breathe normally again, because she had just been running all the way from the science building. "Let's go".

At the factory...

Jeremy quickly sat in his chair and immediately prepared for the virtualization. Ulrich and Odd were heading downstairs towards the scanners. Then they heard Jeremy's voice. "Guys, get inside the scanners, I'm sending you to Lyoko now. Head for the activated tower, due south of where you'll be landing, and destroy as many monsters as you can. There is a whole bunch of crabs and tarantulas waiting for you,"he said. "Relax Einstein, we enjoy going to such parties. Those monsters won't be able to resist 'the Odd charm'." Odd said. "You mean that they'll all disappear as soon as they smell 'the Odd charm'." Ulrich said, while he started laughing at his own joke. "Transfer Odd, transfer Ulrich, scanner, virtualization." Jeremy said as he wondered what could be taking the girls this long.

Finally Yumi and Aelita told Jeremy they had arrived and that they were now standing in the scanners. "Jeremy, virtualize us." They said, still exhausted from the all the running. _Why were they so exhausted?_ "Transfer Aelita, transfer Yumi, scanner, virtualization." Jeremy said, while trying to figure out what the attack on Earth could be.

On Lyoko...

"Aelita, I don't feel so well." Yumi said as she started feeling dizzy. "I am feeling rather strange myself as well." Aelita, who started seeing everything flipped around, replied. "Could this be XANA's attack?" Yumi asked. "I mean an attack specifically pointed at us". "It is possible. XANA is strong enough to do this to us, by which I mean your dizziness and my weird sight. And if I remember correctly, we seemed to be a little too exhausted from running to the factory, since we do that very often." Aelita responded. "Girls, we don't have time to chat. The sooner the tower gets deactivated, the quicker things will get back to normal." They heard Jeremy saying in an annoyed tone, because of the already wasted time.

The girls finally saw the tower, only to be end up in a monstrous fight. Ulrich and Odd had destroyed nine out of twenty monsters already. But they were still far from entering the activated tower. Ulrich used his super sprint to confuse two tarantulas. Afterwards he jumped into the air and threw both of his sabers at the two tarantulas, destroying both of them. Odd was flying around on his overboard and damaged three crabs, making sure only one hit would be enough to kill all three of them. He made a summer salt, while standing on his overboard, and shot three laser arrows at the three crabs beneath him. Now there were only six monsters left, two tarantulas and four crabs.

Yumi jumped off the overwing and Aelita activated her wings and together they joined the fight. Yumi acrobatically dodged everything fired at her. Aelita took advantage of the situation and started descending quickly. She had two energy fields in her hands, she aimed and she hit two crabs. One barely dodged the attack, but the other one was destroyed. Yumi then threw her fans at the remaining two crabs and hit the marks.

Odd had trouble staying on his overboard, since he was shot out of balance. Then he was sent flying and one hit from a laser devirtualized him. "Odd!" Yumi and Aelita screamed, not focusing on the last two tarantulas anymore. The tarantulas aimed for Yumi and fired their lasers. But Ulrich protected her, taking all the hits, instantly devirtualizing him. Yumi's attention was back and she was angry, because Ulrich had been devirtualized. She jumped into the air and Aelita caught her. She flew as high as was necessary and Yumi threw her fans at the two tarantulas, causing them to explode.

Aelita ran into the tower and entered Code: Lyoko. Then they were both materialized by Jeremy.

At the factory...

"Listen guys, I am worried about something. Why did XANA send so many monsters to Lyoko? It doesn't make any sense at all. It is as if he was trying to distract us from something else." Jeremy began walking to and fro. "Don't we need to launch a return to the past?" Odd asked. "No, we don't, I haven't noticed anything unusual on Earth. No news, no messages, no attacks. It looks like Yumi and Aelita were the only two persons affected by XANA's attack". Jeremy answered.

"Yumi, you look terrified, what's the matter?"Ulrich asked concerned. A bit anxiously Yumi replied: "Jeremy, launch a return to the past." Everybody was confused now. "Why? XANA hasn't had enough time to attack on Earth and..." "I said launch a return to the past, now!" Yumi shouted.

"That sickness from XANA's attack has gotten worse than we thought. William apparently sent me a message, when we were on Lyoko, that a lot of people in school had the same symptoms and after some time they fell to the ground breathing heavily". "But why do you look so terrified? We can change it around, if it is not too late." Odd said. "If it is not too late, you do not understand, I wasn't finished yet. My brother must have been at school at that time. He must have the disease as well by now. I can't imagine having to live without him. Please, just return to the past". Yumi was almost begging now.

"Return to the past." Jeremy said as he launched it. "Oh no, the program is messed up. Guys, there is another activated tower. XANA has planned another attack!"


	2. Chapter 2: Something is wrong

**Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update. I had exams from Thursday until Thursday. I think I'll be updating once every week. Forgive me, if it takes a couple of days longer;). I'd like to thank everybody for the reviews/favourites/follows! I hope you enjoy (again)! More action later. First a little exploring.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!**

Chapter two: Something is wrong

Everybody was shocked and worried about the fact that there was another attack. What could XANA's intentions behind this double attack be? And how were they going to solve it? But most important of all were the following simple, yet hard question: what was the attack (besides bug in the program)? After the return to the past, all Lyoko warriors had somehow fainted. This was very strange, because it had never happened to them before.

Ulrich was the first person to wake up. He felt a little dizzy, but he seemed to be alright. He looked around him and he saw the forest. But the trees were dark and the moon showed itself. It was night. "The forest?"Ulrich thought. Why wasn't he sitting on the bench, but sitting on the forest's ground in the middle of the night? "This must be XANA's doing."Ulrich determined. Who or what else could have put him here? He imagined Odd, pulling a prank on him, trying to drag him here. But Odd would never drag one of his friends, who is unconscious, to the forest to wake up lonely and deserted. He was crazy, but not _that_ crazy.

Ulrich tried to recall what happened before the return to the past. But it was all blurry, because of the dizziness. He had to take it easy. He got up and started breathing in and out slowly. Then he made another attempt. He remembered Jeremy saying that there was a bug in the program or something like that. Jeremy had also said it was another attack. Which meant that XANA made sure he had ended up in the forest. Ulrich reached for his phone in his pocket, but the battery was dead. "If it is night now and I am in the forest, then that must mean that I am nowhere near the day we discovered the attack. Because I hardly come here in the middle of the night. Then the question is: which day is it?" Ulrich thought.

Suddenly out of nowhere Ulrich heard a loud explosion. He did not understand why, but he immediately ran towards the direction of which he thought it was the right one. But instead of finding something immense frightening, he saw a bowl of light. Unaware of whether it was dangerous, he doubtfully walked over to the light and was amazed and at the same time terrified by what he saw.

Yumi was talking to him and Ulrich was staring at her, but he was still listening. She was complaining about his behaviour towards William earlier on that day. Only a few sentences was stuck inside his head since then. _You know that fighting William is useless. I don't like his actions and attitude either. I don't want something to happen to you because of his stupidity. I care about you and I like the way you are...Everybody does."She had quickly said afterwards._ Ulrich wished he could hear her say it once more.

Then the following message appeared in front of Ulrich: _If you think this is the past, you should think again. Because it is the future. _The bowl disappeared, leaving a confused Ulrich behind. What was that supposed to mean? But before he could think of an answer monsters were approaching him from all directions. Ulrich was now surrounded. "Something is definitely wrong."Ulrich said.

Meanwhile at Yumi's house...

Unlike Ulrich, Yumi was lying comfortably on her bed. As she woke up, she made her way to the bathroom. Though, she did not immediately realize that she was not on her way to class. Until she stepped on soap, which caused her to slip and fall to the ground. Was her brother stupid enough to pull the same prank on her twice? And was she foolish enough to fall for it twice? Or did she just have a déjà vu?

Two days ago her brother, Hiroki, had obviously gotten up before her and he had put soap somewhere behind the door. Somewhere a certain person, who would be his sister, could step on it and fall. Somewhere he certainly was not present, to avoid his angry sister.

And indeed, Yumi was very angry, because her brother had done it _again_. She walked over to Hiroki's hiding place, which, to her amazement, was exactly the same as before. Yumi grabbed him by his shirt and asked him with the loudest voice possible: "WHY ON EARTH DID YOU PUT SOAP ONTO THE GROUND AGAIN?!" "What do you mean again? This is the first time I pulled this prank. Have you gone mad _again_ or something? Is it because of Ulrich?" Hiroki asked first confused and then teasingly. He knew he could get away if he said that. "Shut up, Hiroki". Yumi said, while letting go of him. "If this is the first time, then why is it the second time I am experiencing this?" Yumi thought.

At that very moment Yumi remembered. The return to the past, the passing out, Jeremy shouting that there was another attack. Were the side effects of the messed up program so bad that she could not even remember that she was supposed to walk to class now? The incident with Hiroki had taken place two days ago, in the morning to be exact. So that meant that she went back two days into the past!

Yumi freshened up and changed into her usual black clothes. She made her way downstairs, but did not see her mother, father or brother. As she searched the entire house and even around the house, time passed. Eventually she returned to her room, after failing to find her family. She tried calling her parents and her brother, but there was no connection. Yumi was getting a little scared. It felt as if her heart stopped for a few seconds when she also heard a loud explosion.

It seemed to have come from the living room. Yumi carefully walked towards it, arming herself with a stick. But she dropped it on seeing the bowl of light. The reason why she freaked out was not the appearance of the bowl, but the fragments shown. She was surprised to see Jeremy on Lyoko. For Aelita it was normal to be in the hermitage and if anyone asked why Odd was in the cafeteria, he or she had never met Odd or was out of his or her mind.

Compared to her, the others appeared to be in an even more difficult situation. "Jeremy would never set a foot on Lyoko after what happened to him when confronting the megatanks. Aelita's surroundings are cleaned up and all the stuff is still in a good shape. This could only point out that she had travelled back in time more than just a few days or weeks. And Odd is eating exactly the same as two weeks ago, which was a once in a lifetime meal. I remember Rosa treating everyone with cake, ice cream, and something disgusting only Odd would be able to eat. And that is what he did that evening." Yumi thought. "Something is wrong."

"But where is Ulrich?" Yumi questioned herself, despite the fact that it was impossible for her to know the answer. Yumi decided to search for the others, although she had no clue as to how to go about it. Then the ball revealed something else: _Until now, only you have figured out most about the return to the past, but how will you get yourself out of this mess?_ Yumi looked puzzled. What did the ball mean? Never before had she gotten such a quick response, because she found herself surrounded by _tarantulas_.

"If only I hadn't dropped that stick, because something is definitely wrong." Yumi said.


	3. Chapter 3: XANA's plan

**Author's note: I thank those who reviewed/followed chapter two. Besides that, I don't really know how I'm doing. As promised, a new chapter. Enjoy? (It will get more exciting later on in the story, I promise^^).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. Only my imagination:)!**

Chapter 3: XANA's plan

At the hermitage, more than ten years ago...

Aelita found herself standing in the living room. Everything was the way it was before. The piano, the books, her bedroom, and even Mister Pück. Aelita was overwhelmed with happiness, but at the same time she realized that she was in an odd situation. "XANA."Aelita sighed.

Aelita was precious to XANA. He would try anything to separate her from her friends. He had succeeded. But Aelita had never expected a long time travel. At first, she was perplexed that this had happened. However she had no right to blame one of her friends. They were all so occupied with the first attack. A second attack seemed rash, strange and out of the ordinary.

As quickly as she figured out that she needed to get to the factory, just as quickly she figured out XANA would go to great lengths to bring her there anyway. Basically waiting was all she had to do, but Aelita would try to escape, because her friends needed her as well.

Aelita imagined her father playing the piano, playing that familiar tune. She was calmed down slightly more than a couple of minutes ago. Now she could focus and escape. That is, if she could find an exit or anything that would cause a return to the future, to her present. No matter how disappointed and saddened she would feel after leaving her real home behind. Her memories were clear and Aelita was satisfied and happy she still had those memories. She was determined to fight until the end. For herself, for her mother and for her father. With these thoughts, Aelita searched the house.

Once inside her bedroom, which was the last room to search for clues, Aelita saw a bowl. It was lit very brightly and it was obviously waiting for her. Aelita already expected XANA to send some kind of sign or message that would guide her to the factory. Actually, she also hoped it. XANA would probably propose a deal. Consisting of a threat and an order, to make Aelita surrender herself. She approached the bowl and read: _If you don't want your friends, Jeremy and Odd, to be hurt very badly, you'll take the transport device that will bring you back to the future automatically and wait for instructions there. Otherwise, some visitors might change your mind. You have five minutes to decide._

It was not necessary to think twice. Aelita took the device and she was about to teleport herself back to the future. But something held her back. Ignorant of the reason, Aelita put the device down and turned around. Odd stood there, looking exhausted. Aelita was shocked to see her friend here. _How did that happen?_

Odd began to tell everything that been taking place two weeks before the day of the attack. "Well, it's a long story. I'll summarize it. I passed out when we launched the return to the past. When I woke up, I was in the cafeteria. I had thought to myself that XANA must have done that to me and would probably have planned something for the others as well." Odd stopped talking to breathe, given the fact that he was exhausted from his trip.

"Luckily, after some time I realized a calendar hung there, from which I was able to tell I travelled back two weeks into the past, for everything would still be a mystery to me, if I hadn't seen it. Anyway, I tried escaping which was useless and boring too because I didn't get anywhere."Odd said, deciding to skip the details.

"Soon some sort of disco bowl neared me. It told me that you were in danger, because of a threat, and if I was given the choice of either taking a transport device and go back in time even further or being the cause of Yumi and Ulrich's death. You understand it was an easy choice. So now I am here, but I see you are not in danger. Because that would mean I am the threat and that is impossible, since I haven't tried to hit you with lasers or kill you." Odd finished speaking and laughed. "I also assumed you figured out more than I did, since you are a female Einstein."

"Odd, there is no time for jokes. We are in trouble. I was in trouble because of a threat. But the threat was you and Jeremy getting hurt badly, if I didn't take this device and transport myself back to the day it all started. Which means that XANA has other intentions, he must have planned something else. XANA obviously has created a lot of tension and confusion. We still have to get to the bottom of all this."Aelita said. Not wasting any time she pressed the button on the device, took Odd's hand and before they knew it, they were on their way to their own world. She hadn't even bothered to tell the remaining part of her story.

Meanwhile on Lyoko...

Jeremy had had a very rough landing. He had not anticipated that XANA was able to virtualize him on Lyoko. The question was: why did he do it? He blamed himself for the way it turned out. It was because of his inattentiveness. If he had paid a little more attention to the screens and the programs, he would have known. He wouldn't have put his friends in even more danger. But what else was he supposed to do? Jeremy had been just as upset about the attack on Earth as Yumi and the others. He had hurried to launch a return after the message was clear.

Jeremy looked at his ridiculous appearance, which reminded him of the day with the megatanks. Unfortunately for Jeremy, it was exactly the same day. Soon megatanks came rolling in from two directions and Jeremy found himself standing in the middle, shocked because of the sudden attack. Jeremy cursed and was ready to run, flee and hide. But he thought twice. If he would let the monsters devirtualize him, he would return to the factory and maybe he would then be able to fix the program.

However, once he was shot at with a laser that came from a block, he was actually hurt. He felt it, which was not supposed to happen. "The scanners must be off-line."Jeremy thought. "Well, last time I barely had the chance to fight. There is no guarantee I'll do better this time. That would be an hopeless attempt."Jeremy decided that dodging, running, and hiding were the best options left. He would have to get out of this mess and find the closest tower. Jeremy would have protection with the tower serving as a shield.

The megatanks fired, each standing diagonally left and right from Jeremy. Clever as he was, Jeremy just stepped forward, because the lasers would cross each other and miss him. Further ahead he saw a swarm of hornets nearing him. With a swarm of hornets on the way, two megatanks and a block on his tail, he would have a small chance of surviving this. XANA apparently wanted to kill me. On top of that two crabs had blocked the possible left escape route for Jeremy. "If I head right, I'll run towards the digital sea. I can't risk falling into the digital sea. I would be permanently 'devirtualized', never returning to Earth."Jeremy thought.

"Now I understand!"Jeremy exclaimed. "XANA wants me to fall into the digital sea, he wants me dead, in order for him to have more time to execute a plan. With me gone, the guys will have much more troubles to deal with. With me gone, XANA can become even stronger. I need to survive this. He'll probably take out Aelita after me."He had no choice, it was either left or backwards. Jeremy explicitly decided that finding his way around two crabs was more difficult than two megatanks and one block. The megatanks needed time to recover after firing, but the crabs could pin him down within seconds. He chose astern.

The megatanks rotated 90 degrees, making sure they were positioned vertically. They fired their lasers. Jeremy ducked as fast as he could and crawled ahead, while seeing the block getting destroyed. He was back on his feet and started to run. The megatanks rolled closely behind him, accompanied by the crabs that shot lasers aiming awfully correct because they only missed by an inch. The swarm of hornets had disappeared, but since this they had the advantage in the mountain sector, Jeremy expected them to come flying down any time soon.

Time was ticking, minutes ticked by, counting the seconds of survival. With Ulrich and Yumi surrounded by monsters, Jeremy being chased by monsters and Odd and Aelita taking a time trip and soon to fight monsters, what more will befall them?


	4. Chapter 4: Together and apart

**Author's note: Merci pour les reviews/favourite/follow. I just thought saying 'thank you' in French would be nice ;). I've been struggling with this chapter. But I loved to write it. Sounds somewhat like a contradiction. Yes, I believe the word is 'contradiction'. I hope the result will please/satisfy you. Enjoy?!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!**

Chapter 4: Together and apart

Ulrich saw six crabs. "Great, my favourites."Ulrich said sarcastically. XANA had sent other monsters to the forest as well, but Ulrich was unaware of that, since they were spread out across the entire forest. Ulrich searched the ground for something that could serve as weapon.

Before he even looked up again, the crabs shot lasers at Ulrich, one after another. Ulrich wasn't in a great shape to confront them. However, Ulrich skillfully dodged all lasers. He ducked to avoid three lasers in front of him. He rolled over to the left to prevent getting hit from the right. While flat on the ground, he jumped with almost all the strength he had left to dodge five lasers. Ulrich had forgotten about number six, which was basically standing above him. The crab shot and Ulrich's leg was hit. "Aaah."Ulrich screamed, grabbing his leg when affected by the pain.

He noticed his leg was bleeding and he knew he had to hide until he had found useful tools that could be used as weapons. Behind the crab that wounded him, Ulrich had spotted two thick branches, which had fallen from a tree. Ulrich crawled under the crab, dragging his leg with him. At the same time, the other crabs were still firing their lasers, which cut off the sixth crab's legs.

Ulrich got up and limped towards the branches. He picked them up, examining them for a while. "Just like my sabers, except the sharp endings are missing."Ulrich thought, relieved he had found something to defend himself with. He watched the crab that could no longer stand, since his legs were gone. "Consider it a payback, even when your fellow crab mates are the cause of your trouble". Ulrich said, grinning satisfied.

Two crabs quickly ran towards Ulrich, who swung the branches as fast and as hard as he could. The left crab stumbled and ended up lying on top of the second crab. Ulrich was astonished that he had taken down the crabs that easily. It only was a small victory and Ulrich would have time to celebrate later. First, he needed a safe place to take care of his wound and search for a better weapon. It was obvious he wouldn't last long enough with the branches that were in his possession.

Meanwhile at Yumi's house...

Yumi made two back flips and within seconds she stood next to the small table and near to the place she had dropped the stick. A lot of time seemed to have passed. Yet, it was only two minutes. Yumi wondered if she would ever return to her normal life. Yes, for her normal included near death experiences, facing XANA attacks, battling monsters and fighting along her best friends in a virtual world.

The tarantulas began firing lasers and Yumi dodged rapidly, spinning and flipping around the room. She kicked the tarantula in front of her in the face causing it to turn around. She then moved into the splits position to avoid the lasers of the tarantulas on either side of her. The lasers raged over her head destroying both of them immediately afterwards. "Two down, three to go."Yumi sighed, she just wanted to know if her friends were all right. She stared off into the distance.

Suddenly, blue lasers circled around her with incredible speed, forming a wall around her. Yumi was trapped and secluded from her surroundings by the blue wall. Yumi desperately started looking for a weak spot, somewhere she could break through. Instead she discovered numbers in the wall. It took her a while to realize that the blue lasers actually consisted of numbers only. She was enclosed by something digital. "A computer program?"Yumi wondered. Yumi felt nothing but anger and she had a strong urge to scream loudly. But, oblivious of the reason, she could only cry.

She snapped out of her emotional mood, when she flew up in the air. "What's happening?!"Yumi shouted frantically. Then she was thrown against the wall of the living room. Pain was all she felt that moment, as if a lot of bones were broken. The blue lasers approached her and she couldn't do anything. Yumi could not move. Her body was held still with so much force, which seemed to be pushing her through the wall. Blue became black and then a sudden white flash appeared. Yumi firmly closed her eyes, not wanting to be blinded by brightness.

All that followed was a thud and an unconscious Yumi was lying on the ground.

Meanwhile in the forest...

Ulrich wandered the forest for almost an hour, until he found a shed. He opened the door and closed it with caution. He glanced across the shed until his gaze dropped on a girl lying on the ground. "Yumi!" Ulrich yelled. Swiftly he ran towards her, forgetting about his aching leg. He stumbled next to Yumi and shove to her. "Yumi, are you all right? Talk to me."Ulrich said, fearing something really bad had happened. He gently took her in his arms and stroked her hair out of her face. Yumi opened her eyes and she saw Ulrich. "Yumi, what happened?"Ulrich asked with a trembling voice. Yumi smiled, comforted by her good friend, hearing his caring tone. Yumi trusted him more than anyone.

After some time, Yumi had regained most of her strength. In the mean time, Ulrich had found a helpful first aid kit and useful sharp tools in a closet. Ulrich and Yumi would need them because he had seen blocks and tarantulas in the forest as well. He took some of the bandage to treat his wound. Luck had been on his side for a change, because the wound was not very deep. With great difficulty he managed to bind it around his leg. "Let me help you."Yumi said. "No, you should rest. After hearing your story, I have nothing to complain about. I'm fine."Ulrich said in a rather blunt way, but one could still hear his concern. Ulrich flinched because the bandage was too tightly bound. Yumi ignored Ulrich and carefully treated him, bandaging his wound correctly. When she was finished, Ulrich looked at her. They held each other's gaze, staring at one another for a while. Yumi and Ulrich both realized it and immediately blushed.

"Thank you."Ulrich paused. "Yumi, I..."He was interrupted by a loud and strange noise. They heard multiple heavy footsteps and then they were able to identify the sounds. "The monsters."Yumi and Ulrich said in unison. Respectively, they took an ax and a saw. Ulrich also attached a belt around his waist with several screwdrivers and Yumi figured out some knifes would be helpful and slid them in her belt, which was exactly the same as Ulrich's belt. "Are you ready?"Ulrich asked Yumi. "Ready."She replied.

Once again, after waiting long enough, Ulrich opened the door cautiously. He peered through the opening to see if everything was clear. He did not know why, but he softly grabbed Yumi's hand and they walked out of the shed. Yumi smiled and blushed again. However, she held up her ax, ready to strike any second, which hid her face. Ulrich did not see her reaction. Together they continued their quest to return to their world as they knew it.

Meanwhile with Odd and Aelita...

Aelita had almost squished Odd's hand when they travelled forwards. "I know you are strong, Princess, but was it necessary to squeeze my hand that hard."Odd said as he started to laugh. He had regretted his remark, when he saw Aelita's sad face, she was crying. He hadn't even thought of her true feelings that time. "I am sure that your father and mother are very proud of you, Aelita."Odd said, attempting to cheer her up a bit. Aelita smiled a little and wiped away her tears. "Thank you."She whispered. "To be honest, it isn't only my past I've been thinking about lately, it's also my parents."Aelita explained, admitting that she appreciated Odd's comment.

They stood in front of the elevator and pushed the button. Odd and Aelita waited patiently, while the elevator was coming up. Its' door opened and kankrelats, crabs and creepers were revealed. Odd estimated that there were thirty monsters. Aelita froze. She had actually thought that XANA would just give her instructions. Odd yanked her away from the monsters, which aimed for them. "Come on, Aelita, we have to get out of here!"Odd shouted. Aelita was brought to her senses again. "Aelita, run to the lab, I'll hold them off."Odd said. She nodded in agreement and quickly ran to the stairs leading to the corridor. Odd watched her leave. For now they would have to fight separately.

Aelita climbed down the ladder and sat in the chair in front of the screens. No message from XANA. However, something strange caught her attention. There was a weak signal. Someone was virtualized on Lyoko, but who? And why was the signal so weak?


	5. Chapter 5: Heroes' actions

**Author's note: Thank you for the follows/favourites. I am sorry for updating one day past my deadline. But I warned you about it. It might happen again. To make up for it I made this chapter really long. I hope you still like this story:). Enjoy reading this chapter (especially the...wait I can't spoil it for you. You will have to read it yourself):)!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!**

Chapter 5: Heroes' actions

XANA was in trouble. He hadn't managed to kill Jeremy yet. And Aelita was already at the factory. She would soon unravel his plan. XANA could still pull it off. If Jeremy devirtualized eternally, he would have fewer problems executing a plan. He would have enough time to throw Aelita in the digital sea.

On Lyoko...

Jeremy had been running and hiding for hours and he was fed up now. Using his clever strategies, he managed to destroy half of the monsters chasing him. But the swarm of hornets still hadn't shown themselves. Just as he thought that he was safe, the hornets fired their lasers from all directions. Jeremy started to wonder if he would ever get out alive. With his fingers crossed her ran towards a cave to find shelter. He was hit twice in his left arm. He grabbed his arm, half-concentrated on the pain and half-concentrated on his escape route. He knew there was a small entrance somewhere in the cave. Aelita had used it long ago, when she was hiding from the monsters and waiting for the others.

But he would not be able to spot it so easily, given the fact that he ran for his life, dodging lasers and enduring the pain in his arm. Jeremy hadn't paid enough attention, because he was no longer in the cave. He had missed the entrance. The edge of the sector was within sight and Jeremy was heading straight for it. "If I go left, I will fall into the digital sea."Jeremy said. The same thing would happen if he went right. On top of that, he now faced a dead end. He would have to jump into the digital sea voluntarily if he wanted to keep running away from the monsters. The monsters were closing in on him, ready to fire any moment. One hornet flew forward and pushed Jeremy. He lost his balance and fell, but he clung to the edge. Jeremy could barely get a good grip and he was slipping away.

Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion. Jeremy still held on to the edge, but there was solid ground beneath him. He let go and checked his surroundings. "What is going on? How did I get back in the middle of the mountain sector?"Jeremy thought. He knew his questions would be answered soon, because he saw Aelita and Odd standing a few meters in front of him.

At the factory, a few hours ago...

Aelita searched for the exact location of the signal. She typed some difficult equations and codes, which then appeared on the screen. Every now and then she looked at the screens at the right side, to see if she had made any progress on figuring out where the signal came from. "I found it!"Aelita exclaimed. "Odd."She said immediately afterwards. She had forgotten that he was still fighting the monsters. Aelita decided to go and help Odd. Then they could both be transferred to Lyoko to solve the problem.

She went back the way she came and found Odd cornered by three monsters. Only seven crabs were left, which meant Odd would be bragging about how he destroyed the other twenty-one monsters that quickly. "Oh, hello Princess. As you can see, your timing is perfect."He looked at the crabs. "I guess my guardian angel will save me now, so I'll take my leave."Odd said, while he bowed. Aelita giggled at his sarcastic, formal behaviour. She spotted something that looked like a spear, picked it up and threw it towards Odd. It killed the monster in the center. Odd caught the spear, jumped on top of one crab, sliced it in the eye and threw the spear on the other crab. Both monsters exploded as Odd landed on the ground.

"Leave the other four, we need to go to Lyoko to deactivate the tower and to destroy the simulation bubble."Aelita said. "Am I missing something here? Where did the simulation bubble come from? Why would XANA create it?"Odd asked impatiently. "I'll explain it all on our way to the activated tower."Aelita told him. They walked to the elevator and went down. Once they were in the lab, Aelita set up the self-virtualization program. Odd kindly let Aelita head down by gesturing she should climb down the stairs first. Aelita smiled.

They were virtualized on Lyoko in the forest sector. "Let's go, Odd."Aelita said. They ran towards the activated tower. Aelita explained that she found the location of signal, after cracking some codes with great difficulty. She saw it was a simulation bubble, but she was clueless about the fact why it was there. However, it was never smart to leave any kind of bubble behind. She referred to the trouble it caused several times before. She further clarified that XANA activated two towers, which were probably controlling the transmissions of monsters from Lyoko to Earth. She would have noted down the second tower's coordinates, if a virus wouldn't have prevented her from doing so. Hence they will only be able to deactivate one tower and deal with the second later.

Odd looked a little confused, but he had understood everything Aelita just explained. "I get it."Odd answered Aelita's question, before she asked it. He could tell from her face that she was about to ask if he could keep up with all the information. "I won't forget that you and Einstein have the brains, but I am able to understand it. As long as you speak in simple English. And who needs brains, if you can destroy twenty-one monsters really quickly?"Odd said, already bragging. Aelita smiled, she had known that he would brag at some point. "Odd, I will be right back. Then we can head for the simulation bubble together."Aelita said.

Odd had waited until she came out of the tower. For a few moments he had stared at her beauty and he had been amazed by her courage, despite everything she had been through. The two Lyoko warriors sprinted towards a way tower, into the mountain sector and towards the simulation bubble. Aelita sat down on her knees, put her hands against the white aura and sang. The bubble shattered into pieces, disappearing soon afterwards. Odd and Aelita saw Jeremy standing across from them. Odd noticed the two Einsteins holding each other's gaze. He felt weird, as if he was set aside. He did not know why. Eventually his ignorance got the better of him. "Hi, Einstein, I certainly wasn't expecting you on Lyoko."Odd mocked him because he had sworn never to set foot on Lyoko again.

After telling each other their stories and suspicions about XANA, Jeremy asked his questions. Aelita calmly answered them and Odd stood there watching them. Aelita told Jeremy that he was fooled by XANA. Jeremy had been led to believe that he had returned to the past and ended up in Lyoko. But he was actually transported in the simulation bubble, in order for XANA to make an end to his existence. Jeremy never returned to the past, which means that also he had been affected by the messed up program. "That does explain a lot. XANA hadn't prepared himself for any flaws. Where are Yumi and Ulrich?"Jeremy asked Aelita. "_We_ don't know, but they could be in trouble, so our priority is deactivating that other tower."Aelita said firmly. Odd rejoiced at hearing 'we' from Aelita. "Was it because of the conversation they had earlier?"Odd thought. He snapped out of his thoughts after Jeremy talked to him. "Odd, devirtualize me. I will be able to guide you both. Moreover, I can fix those programs."Jeremy said. Odd and Aelita agreed. Odd shot three laser arrows at his friend. "Shall we be heroes once more, Princess?"Odd asked politely. Aelita's eyes told him she was ready and he saw her nodding 'yes'.

Meanwhile at the forest somewhere in the past...

Ulrich and Yumi were on their guard, but they were still holding hands. Every time Ulrich squeezed her hand a little, Yumi's heart filled with the sense of adventure. Her feelings mixed with her caution and a little anxiety. Although, every squeeze of Ulrich's reassured her that she was not alone. Someone shared that same anxiety and maybe, hopefully also the feelings, even if they were all mixed up. "I think we're safe. We have been wandering for hours. Let's search for some food and water. Besides, we still need to recover some more."Ulrich said. Yumi agreed.

After some time they had found themselves a few apples and a small brook. They ate and drank. Time passed and none of the monsters showed themselves. They had put their 'weapons' away. Since carrying the weapons tired them because they were not fully recovered. It was dark, the blue-black sky had appeared. They had decided not to return to the shed, because it was likely to be surrounded by monsters and they would probably struggle to find their way back at night. They simply sat on the ground and waited for the perfect moment to fall asleep.

Then Yumi asked him the wrong question. "Ulrich, why do you always react so angrily when William is around? You know, he can be nice."Yumi said. "I am sorry Yumi, I really don't feel like talking about William. You could have asked me anything now, but I request you to not mention William."Ulrich said disregarding the question a little. "I can't stand him being around.._you."_Ulrich muttered and leaned back until he lay on the ground, facing the sky. However Yumi had heard the 'you'. "Are you jealous?"Yumi asked carefully. Ulrich closed his eyes, not daring to look into her eyes to see her reaction. He sighed deeply and answered,"yes.""Why?"Yumi asked as normally as she could. "Yumi, please, not now."Ulrich paused. "William almost always makes you feel flattered. I can see it. I just...I don't know."Ulrich said. His answer was not complete, but he just couldn't say it. Not like this, not when William was the subject. He wouldn't rely on his conflicts with Williams to tell Yumi the truth. He opened his eyes, turned his face and saw Yumi lying next to him. He smiled, breathed in and out as he watched the stars. Yumi and Ulrich soon fell asleep with their fingers intertwined...

It was morning again and Ulrich was preparing to leave the forest. Today they would discover a way to get out of there, he was sure. He looked over at Yumi, who was still sleeping. He had known she needed to rest, but she had refused. She woke up and Ulrich quickly glanced at his weapons. "Good morning Yumi."Ulrich said, sounding happier than yesterday. "Good morning Ulrich."Yumi said, yawning. "Unfortunately, there is no food left. We'll drink some water and then we will figure out a way to return home. I mean to our present, not in the past."Ulrich told her. Yumi nodded silently and drank some water.

After an hour they were ready. It seemed as if the monsters wouldn't permit them to leave, because they were approaching from all directions. Ulrich's leg was still throbbing, but Yumi had all her strength back. They would fight, survival being their top priority now. Eight blocks were closing in on them with eight tarantulas behind them. The blocks fired their orange rings at them, while the tarantulas started walking up straight to get a better aim and fired their lasers. Ulrich and Yumi split up, each running in a different direction. The monsters did the same. It was the beginning of a long chase.

Ulrich had managed to destroy all the blocks that were chasing him. "Five monsters down, three tarantulas to go."He thought. Ulrich was surprised that the screwdrivers he had, could actually kill the blocks, if they had a high speed. He had thrown them as fast as he could, straight into XANA's symbol, and it had worked. However, Ulrich only had his saw to defend himself now. From the corner of his eye he spotted a tarantula in range. He twisted on his unharmed leg and spun the saw with it, slicing through the head of the monster. "I hope Yumi is all right."Ulrich thought, concerned about the girl.

Yumi was used to confronting tarantulas, so she had easily killed all five of them. The blocks, however, were incredibly annoying. They kept changing tactics. They would fire their ice rays, then they would use their fire rings. Yumi hardly kept up. To make matters worse, creepers blocked her exit. "At least XANA hasn't sent the most difficult monsters to kill."Yumi stated. It would be hard to escape, because she was out of knives and she had dropped her ax somewhere. Two hornets appeared from behind a tree. Only a miracle could save her now.

Ulrich yelled and ran forward as quickly as his legs allowed him to run. He came in from the right, which created the opportunity to strike the three blocks as he ran passed them. He made a U-turn and repeated his actions killing the creepers. Ulrich's timing was perfect and Yumi thanked him for it. "There is no need to say 'thank you'. You know I'd do anything for you."Ulrich said, making Yumi blush. Then the two hornets fired at Yumi, but Ulrich saw this. He pushed Yumi aside and jumped in front of her. He spread out his arms and was hit by two lasers, one in his wounded leg and one in his left arm. Ulrich flinched and screamed, but he gave no sign of surrender. He threw his saw at the hornets. The pain took over and he lowered himself on one knee. Ulrich was satisfied after hearing two explosions.

With a lot of effort he stood on both feet again. Across from him was Yumi. "Thank you for saving my life, again. But why did you take the hits? You were already hurt and now you are wounded even worse."Yumi said with a shaky voice. Ulrich's face hardened when he spotted crabs and kankrelats around them. One of the monsters fired at Yumi again. He took Yumi's hand and with force, he pulled her away from the monsters straight towards him. Yumi ended in his arms. She felt his right arm embrace her. "Because I need you. I told you I'd do anything for you. I can't lose you."He whispered.

Yumi had closed her eyes when she had heard Ulrich's response. Ulrich's arm remained where it was. While standing there, hugging her, Ulrich closed his eyes and waited for the monsters to make a move. They waited and prepared for the worst.


	6. Chapter 6: The provided escape

**Author's note: Less than 30 minutes left before it's Saturday here:D! Once again, I thank those who followed and/or clicked favourite. Also, thank you very much to the persons who wrote reviews. I was advised to rate the story K. So I changed it to Kplus to T, just to be safe. You should tell me if I should leave it 'T' only. Enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!**

Chapter 6: The provided escape

On Lyoko (present)...

Aelita's and Odd's life points had been reduced to twenty each. They were not going to make it to that tower, if they didn't get rid of those monsters. They automatically looked up when they heard Jeremy's voice. "Guys, I have some good news. I managed to remove the virus that XANA had implanted in the supercomputer. Everything is working now. The superscan displays that the second activated tower is in the desert sector. I will give you the overboard, but you will have to be careful. If that tower controls monsters that are sent to take out Yumi and Ulrich, they might be dead if we fail to deactivate the tower." "Relax Einstein, we have this covered, we will save our friends."Odd said, never wasting a chance to joke around. Aelita decided not to react and silently stepped on the overboard behind Odd. "There is a way tower west of your position."Jeremy told them. They nodded, even though Jeremy wasn't able to see it, and went west, glad to finally leave the monsters behind.

Once arriving in the desert, Jeremy instructed them to head north. According to him they would be able to see the tower easily. He was right. Aelita and Odd saw the tower, but it was completely isolated from any land. The tower just moved up and down in the air. "Well there is something you don't see every Lyoko mission."Odd said, laughing at his own joke. "Odd, stop it, I don't understand why XANA would let us get close to this tower. There are no monsters to defeat and no obstacles to cross."Aelita pondered out loud. "You're right, Aelita. But we have been in the same kind of situation before."Odd said, warily looking around him. "Back me up if anything happens. I'll try to deactivate that tower."Aelita replied. "Sure, Princess."Odd said and winked.

Aelita activated her wings and ascended towards the tower. However when she got close enough, an energy wall blocked her from entering it. "Jeremy, we have a problem. The tower is protected by some sort of energy wall around the tower."Aelita sounded annoyed. "I'm currently working on fixing the return to the past's program. But I'll see what I can do. Just give me a few minutes."Jeremy paused and spoke again after a while. "Listen, the wall is built up from the same energy as your powers, the only difference being that XANA modified its structure. It prohibits anyone with the same kind of energy to go through, meaning you, Aelita. It seems as if XANA is becoming stronger all the time. And when we launched that return to the past, he had the opportunity to fully recover and to power up. You need to find the weakest point and destroy it with one or two large energy fields, hitting it fast, one after another."Jeremy explained.

"I have absolutely no idea what you just talked about Einstein."Odd complained. "It's simple Odd, XANA has built this wall using my energy, but altering its structure. This makes sure I can't enter the tower, since the wall doesn't recognize my energy. XANA has done this on purpose. If I can't go through the wall, I won't be able to neutralize the tower. Thus leading to the possible end of our friends."Aelita finished louder than she had begun. "Alright, don't get yourself all frustrated. You might explode and then XANA has come up with his strategy for nothing."Odd said, struggling not to laugh, after seeing Aelita's angry face. Neglecting Odd she asked Jeremy, "how do I know when I have found the weakest spot?" Odd circled around the tower on his overboard and Aelita patiently waited for an answer.

"Jeremy?"Aelita asked, worried that her friend was in trouble. "I'm sorry, guys. Where was I? Oh, you'll see a green streak come by every once in while. However it randomly changes place after it completes a lap. So you'll have to stay focused. If you see it, follow it, but hit it before it finishes the lap."Jeremy said. "Sounds feasible enough. XANA really did it this time."Aelita sighed and as she turned to Odd she said, "Odd you'll have to help me find it and we both need to watch out for monsters."Aelita said. "Got it, Princess. I'll be...aaah!"Odd shouted. He had touched the energy wall, trying to break through. But it had obviously seen it as an intruder, because he had no such energy that kept him from harm. Odd had been pushed back hard and he was now falling down, his destination being the digital sea.

Aelita was too far away from Odd, she would never be able to reach him in time. "Jeremy, materialize Odd, now!"Aelita screamed. "I'm going as fast as I can Aelita. I may not be able to do it. You'll have to devirtualize him."Jeremy said, freaking out while typing madly. Aelita created two energy fields, aimed and fired. But she missed, twice! All hope seemed lost, until Odd suddenly was lifted back upwards. He was being transported to land. Confused by what had happened, Odd searched for Aelita. But she was standing at the other side of the tower's wall. "Who or what saved me?" Odd thought. "Are you alright, Odd?"A girl's voice sounded from nearby. Odd looked up and was astonished by who he saw. It was Yumi!

"I'm so glad you could make it in time, Yumi."Jeremy said, content with his friend's actions. But how did you end up here? Where were you? What has happened? Where is Ulrich?"Odd asked hastily. "Calm down, Odd. I'll explain later. Ulrich is in trouble."Yumi said, her face showed sadness when she mentioned Ulrich. "Aelita, let's go find that green streak."She said, when Aelita had caught up to them. "Right."Aelita said and they went to search for a flash of green.

"I found it!"Aelita exclaimed for the second time that day. "Good, now follow and hit it with your energy fields."Jeremy sounded excited because of the discovery. It was all a mystery as well. But he had enough time to figure it out, at least he hoped he did. Aelita had a large energy field in her hands, which she threw against the weak spot. The wall shocked and shuffled. Aelita hit it again and there was a loud explosion. It had cost the Lyoko warriors some life points. Odd got devirtualized. "Aelita, you have five life points left. Yumi, you have 85. Be careful girls. Aelita can't be devirtualized or we won't be able to save Ulrich." Jeremy was worried again.

Aelita went into the tower, rose up and typed in Code: Lyoko. When she was out of the tower, Jeremy materialized both Yumi and Aelita. Once in the lab, all the others were staring at Yumi. She got the message and started explaining everything. She told them what had happened at her house and how she came to know what date and time it was. She told them how she ended up with Ulrich. She told them about the monsters, the wounds, and Ulrich's actions. She tried to keep her face as neutral as possible. Eventually, she came to the point of the event after Ulrich's second sacrifice...

Hours ago in the forest (past)...

Ulrich and Yumi suddenly heard nothing but the swishing of the thin branches and the leaves. The monsters had situated themselves in moon-shaped formation around them. They were alone with nothing to fight. Relieved that the monsters didn't fire, they both looked around for an escape route, but then the bright bowl returned. The following message was displayed: _Only one of you can use me to return to the future. Try anything else and one of you dies, obviously referring to the monsters. XANA has ordered me to show you this last message. One person stays behind...forever. Unless you save him or her within five hours after your arrival in the present. You have three minutes to decide._

Yumi was shocked. Ulrich however did not even think before saying: "Yumi, I'll stay, you must go." Yumi stood there looking at him in amazement. "Ulrich don't behave stubborn. You're hurt too badly. You should go and help the other with this mission and get me out in time." Yumi spoke firmly. "That's my point. I am in no condition to run to the factory. I wouldn't make it there. A person without wounds is of more use to our friends than me now."Ulrich replied. Yumi was about to discuss her way out of it, but Ulrich simply grabbed her hand and let her touch the bright bowl, hoping it would work. There was a white flash and Yumi had disappeared, leaving Ulrich behind with the monsters. Ulrich did not want a discussion, he wanted her to be safe. Besides, he needed to spend some time alone, after what just happened. The count-down had started. Never before was he this worried about time as this moment.

Meanwhile with Yumi in the present a quarter of an hour ago...

Yumi was furious. Ulrich had sacrificed himself three times...for her. She set aside her thoughts and ran to the factory as quickly as she could. There she met Jeremy, who explained his part swiftly. Yumi was able to keep up, and she was transferred to Lyoko to help the others.

Present time...

"And that is how I got here in time to save Odd."Yumi finished. "Wow."Odd said. He was about to add something, but Aelita interrupted him. "Jeremy have you finished repairing the program yet?"She asked. "No, I haven't. It is complicated and it will take time to fix everything. I have never realized how much pressure XANA actually put on us. But this is almost unbearable. I mean, we could lose Ulrich permanently."Jeremy said. The others silently nodded. "I'll stay here to help you out, but Yumi and Odd should get some rest."Aelita told Jeremy. "No, I'm not going anywhere until I am certain that Ulrich is returning here!"Yumi shouted. "Calm down, Yumi. We'll all stay here."Odd said, showing a little smile.

_Yumi slowly sat down on the ground, pulling her knees towards her. She pictured Ulrich, unharmed and armoured, ready to fight. Just like it had always been. Then she thought about the incident that had occurred. Ulrich whispering those words. It was stuck in her head. "Because I need you. I told you I'd do anything for you. I can't lose you."_


	7. Chapter 7: Relief and frustration

**Author's note: I thank those who reviewed/followed and clicked favourite. I hope you're still enjoying the story. I figured Kplus rating was better, since I do not swear and talk about certain themes, like cruel deaths, in this story. I have almost finished the story! I hope you are ready for this chapter (and the one still to come) :)! Here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!**

Chapter 7: Relief and frustration

In the present...

"It's done! It's fixed! Guys, we are close to ending this chapter of XANA's wickedness!"Jeremy exclaimed. Odd woke up surprised by the loud screaming. He immediately noticed Aelita looking happy. "Well, that sure is a lot better than the sad face, the frustrated face, the angry face and actually any other face like that."Odd thought. "However..." Odd looked at Jeremy when he said 'however'. "one of you will have to go back to get him out of there. I will implant a materialistic equation in the return to the past program, in order for both persons to be transported here in the present. Which you do by triggering the electronic device that is coordinated on the program I just fixed. According to my watch, we still have twenty-five minutes."Jeremy explained. But when he looked around, he saw two confused and annoyed stares and Aelita's face that told him the others had not understood what he had just said.

"What I mean is that I have made a sort of program, of which I calculated everything accurately, that I will insert in the return to the past's program. It has the same principle as the materialization program, which will make sure you return here and not in the strangest location possible. I also took a remote control and turned it into an electronic device that is linked to the program. When you push the button, I will receive a signal and then I will know that I need to start my self-made program together with the return to the past, or in this case future. Do you get it now?"Jeremy said.

He still received confused looks, but he also saw that everyone was relieved to hear the good news. Odd finally spoke up. "Whatever you say, Einstein. All I got was the part of pushing a button and returning here. I volunteer."Odd replied. "Hold on." Aelita said as she pointed to Yumi, who had clenched her fists. "No, Odd. I will go and that's final. I have a chance to still my guilt. I can't just leave Ulrich behind. Certainly not after what he said to me."Yumi said. "What did _he_ tell you?"Odd asked curiously. "Odd!"Aelita cut him off and gave him a warning glare.

"I'm not sure if that such a smart idea. I am sorry, but you might get distracted by your mixed up feelings. It would be better to send Odd to retrieve Ulrich."Jeremy said firmly. Aelita could not believe Jeremy had just said that. Odd also stared at him in disbelief. They could all get distracted by their emotions at this moment. Jeremy kept rattling on about how risky it was. Eventually Odd punched him in the face, knocking him out. "What did you do that for?!"Yumi screamed, fearing that no one would be able to get Ulrich back now.

"Aelita asked me to."Odd said and put his hands in the air as if trying to come across as innocent. "I am sorry Jeremy, but Yumi needs to do this."Aelita told the unconscious Jeremy. "And I believe she can."She continued and smiled at Yumi. She gave Aelita a grateful look, but it faded away. "How will I be able to do it, if Jeremy has been knocked out?"Yumi asked. "Don't worry, Yumi, he is not the only one who knows a lot about computers and programs."Aelita said and winked. "I know how this program works and I can control it. You just hold on tight."Aelita walked over to the chair, seated herself and started typing. "Ready? Activate the device. You'll have twenty minutes. There is pressure, but I'm sure you will succeed."Aelita told her. Yumi nodded and pressed the green button on the device.

In the past quite a while after Yumi's departure to the present...

Ulrich had reacted shocked when all the monsters exploded and vanished. He sighed in relieve. "It looks like the others deactivated a tower."He thought. Ulrich started to limp back to the shed, back to the first aid kid. Once he made it there, he treated his wounds in the best way _he _could. Remembering how skillfully Yumi had bandaged his leg he wondered if she was alright. Then, he thought about what he had done a few hours ago. And especially about what he had said to Yumi. Never before had he felt such a desperate urge to express his deeper feelings. He had always blocked everything, assuming Yumi wouldn't have the same feelings. And he _still_ had no idea about her thoughts of him.

Suddenly, a lot of tension built up within him. It started to rain and Ulrich was standing outside. He spread his arms and let it all fall down on him. Ulrich kept shouting, ignoring the burning pain of his wounds that was worsened by the heavy rainfall. He faced the sky and let it out, all of it. "For two years I have been struggling with my feelings, for two years I have withdrawn from telling Yumi everything. Why have I chosen the impossible pathway up the hill? Instead of speaking my mind, I refused to, thinking that Yumi would never like me the way I do, that she only felt attracted to William. When I finally had the chance, I stopped, again! Now that she is gone, trying to save me, my life depends on a ticking time bomb! Over time I realized how important she is to me. Today was the ultimate point of that realization. And I still couldn't tell it all. WHY NOT?! Because I don't want our close friendship to be ruined? Because I don't want us to separate? Because I don't want us to end up in a fight? Or because I don't want to and cannot lose her?!"

Thunder could be heard, lightning could be seen, but Ulrich did not stop. "Why can't I just say that I like her, that I can't imagine my life without her, that my heart almost explodes when I hold back everything I have to say, that I hate William because he's so open-hearted, that I want to be with her, that MY HEART HAS THAT ONE REAL FEELING FOR HER!?"Ulrich yelled aloud. "Answer me!" He grabbed his head with both hands out of frustration and stood there standing in the rain for many minutes.

"Because you want to stay good yet in love friends, you don't want to separate, you want to see her smile, you want to have her close to you. You don't want to hurt her. And she understands it all. But you would never hurt her, because she has those same feelings, Ulrich. She has been longing to hear you admit everything and now she has. Now I ask you: do you think you could say it once more?"Yumi said after hearing Ulrich's frustration shouted aloud.

Ulrich lowered his arms, turned around and saw Yumi standing there, just as drenched as he was. They walked towards each other, then stopped, keeping a few inches between them. Ulrich looked her in the eyes. It was hard to see because of all the rain, but he noticed she had cried. She had a certain look in her eyes. No words were spoken, no questions were asked, only looks were exchanged.

Once more he took Yumi's hand and pulled her towards him with caring force. Once more he felt her ending up against him and she felt his right arm embrace her. And once more he whispered. But this time he said: "_no, _I won't. There is no need to tell you once again. Because now _I know_. From this moment onwards, it is _you and me_."

Yumi and Ulrich closed their eyes, again, while standing in the same position. Then Yumi pressed the red button.


	8. Chapter 8: Time makes us realize

**Author's note: See you next time! I thank everyone who read the (entire) story:D, for the support:D, the tips:D, and the kind words:D! I could have written an ending in chapter 7, but I didn't feel like ending it there. Hence this is the last chapter, which is longer than expected! Enjoy! If you didn't get something, feel free to ask:D.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!**

Chapter 8: Time makes us realize

In the normal world...

Odd and Aelita waited for their friends to return and for their other friend, Jeremy, to wake up. Odd felt guilty because he knocked out Jeremy after Aelita's hurried decision. But he saw this as a chance to talk to her about _the_ feelings. He knew what the result would be, but he could always ask her. "Let's play a game. It seems to be taking hours."Odd sighed. "Alright. But it's only been one minute, Odd."Aelita said, laughing at Odd's impatience. "I ask you a question and you answer with the truth."Odd dared Aelita. "Isn't that just like truth or dare?"Aelita asked. "Yes, but we leave out the 'dare'."He replied, as he started smiling. Aelita shrugged and nodded afterwards. "Okay then, you're up first."He said. Aelita smiled.

"Don't you think it's funny how Yumi and Ulrich always deny that they want to be more than just good friends?"Aelita laughed at the thoughts. "Of course I do! There is not one moment Ulrich can ignore my comments. I never skip an opportunity to tease the guy."Odd smiled broadly. "Your turn."Aelita said. "If Jeremy and I were hanging from a cliff and you only had enough time to save one of us, who would you save?"Odd asked, scolding himself for the question he just asked. "Odd? What kind of question is that? I would be forced to choose between two of my best friends. No doubt, I would rescue you both. I would not let you die!"Aelita exclaimed angrily. "Sorry, Princess. But I had to know."Odd said. "You had to know what, exactly?"Aelita said, still annoyed by the question, but then it struck her. She decided to wait for Odd to ask the right question and looked at him expectantly. She followed his gaze and ended up seeing Jeremy.

"You know, I always see the two of you staring at one another. I somehow sense that you two are crazy about each other, but you don't really admit it. You two remind me of Yumi and Ulrich sometimes."Odd said as he looked at Aelita. She remained silent. Odd decided to continue. "I honestly don't understand why, but you and I always seem to have a connection. And it just bothers me, not in a bad way, but it's haunting me that I don't know your true feelings."Odd said, relieved he had spoken his mind instead of joking around. "I often recall all those moments we had together. And I am confused myself as well. My feelings for Jeremy and you are somewhat similar. I really like you Odd, I do, but it's better if we remain friends. Best friends, that is. I need someone to distract me from the outside world, from the current events in our lives, and when necessary from Jeremy. You have always done that, and I appreciate that. Therefore I really like you. However, not in the way I like Jeremy. I can't lose that friend I see in you."Aelita sighed as she finished speaking.

"Well, that is that then. I will be honoured to be your hero and you will stay my guardian angel. Besides, it would get complicated if we were actually together. I mean everybody at school thinks you're my cousin."Odd said as he rose from the bow he made. Aelita felt flattered and nodded in agreement. "Promise."She said, fingers crossed. "Promise."Odd replied, fingers crossed. They had both squeezed their eyes shut for a moment because they crossed fingers. "Now Princess, if I can be as free as to ask you: may I have this dance with you?"He held his hand in front of Aelita. "It would be difficult to refuse, would it not? I'd be honoured to have this dance with you."Aelita smiled as she responded and took his hand.

Eleven minutes had passed since the end of the conversation and the beginning of the dance in the lab. Meanwhile Jeremy woke up and tried to stand up. But he felt dizzy and sat on the ground again. That is when he noticed two of his friends dancing with each other. He did not know why, but he felt immensely jealous when he saw the way Aelita and Odd stared at each other. "Having fun there, I see."Jeremy said, deciding to break the magical act of honouring. Almost immediately, Aelita and Odd stopped dancing. "Why not? I had to keep her company when you were taking a nap. Besides, having fun is part of our life, you should try it some time. Instead of sitting in front of that computer, you could ask Aelita out on a date."Odd spoke firmly and smiled at him after winking at Aelita. She smiled at the remark of her hero.

Jeremy blushed and shove away his jealousy. As if Odd would ever fall for Aelita. He is always trying to get a girl to like him for more than three days. "Aren't Yumi and Ulrich back yet?"He asked. Aelita remembered and walked towards the computer. "It's been sixteen minutes since her departure. I hope they'll make it back in time."Aelita said worried about the little time that was left. Just then a flash appeared revealing Ulrich and Yumi standing in the middle of the lab.

Finally, Yumi and Ulrich had been transported back. Due to the fact that Ulrich was harmed in the past and not in the present, his wounds seemed to have healed. Actually they disappeared since he never was injured in the present. They still stood there hugging each other, with Ulrich using two arms for a change.

Odd, Aelita and Jeremy all looked at each other. After what seemed to be an eternity, their best friends had given up. Yumi and Ulrich had lost the war of friendship. That too _without saying 'I love you'._

"I hate to spoil the moment, guys, but we need to launch a return to the past. For real this time. Our certainties about the people at school are not based on actual sights or messages. Therefore I need to launch it."Jeremy whispered, directing his words at Aelita and Odd. "Leave them, it's been such a long time. We can't spoil it for them."Aelita said, smiling for a reason only she knew. "Alright, are you ready?"Jeremy asked. "Ready."Odd and Aelita responded.

Meanwhile Ulrich had released Yumi and he had heard every word that had been said. He decided to make the moment special, just like the first time. He turned to Yumi, who had apparently also overheard everything. She looked in his eyes and he did the same. There faces came closer to each other, soon there was only an inch between their lips. Then, as expected, they heard, "return to the past now!" A white flash spread across the room and Yumi and Ulrich still didn't have their first kiss. However, they had both known the return would spoil it. Ulrich succeeded into bringing back the same feelings as he had the first attempt. He was sure nothing would separate them anymore.

At the start of that same day...again...

Four Lyoko warriors were sitting on the bench. "Guys, we finally managed to defeat XANA, again."Jeremy said. "You mean, we countered XANA once again. After all, it was just an attack. Right, Aelita?"Odd asked, obviously referring to the moments he had spent with Aelita. However, no one but them knew about it. "Just an attack?! Are you serious, Odd? This was by far the most complicated attack ever!"Ulrich shouted. "Keep it down, will you?"Jeremy warned him. "But some things turned out fine, didn't they?"Odd poked Ulrich with his elbow. Ulrich was quiet, but he did smile. He was thinking about Yumi. "Ahh lost in deep thoughts, aren't you?"Aelita said curiously. "I am just glad it is over. If there is one thing I realized most, it would be that time is very precious. We need to be cautious all the time. But time also makes us realize things we never knew before." She eyed Jeremy first, who for some reason didn't understand the look in her eyes. Then she eyed Odd, who immediately got what she meant and he winked at her, but he made sure Jeremy didn't notice. Finally, she eyed Ulrich, who also understood what she meant. "I have to go."Ulrich said, as he got up from the bench. Odd was about to make a teasing remark, but Aelita kicked him forcing him to hold back. Ulrich shrugged and walked away, hands pocketed, gaze down. After a while, he bumped into someone. "Watch where you're going!"They said in unison. Ulrich saw William, who smirked. Ulrich was confused.

"What is your problem? Are you blind or what?"William asked. "I could be asking you the same question, you know."Ulrich said. "Don't try me, Stern. You don't know who you're dealing with."William began, but he decided to deviate from the conversation. "I think you'll change your tone after hearing that Yumi and I will be spending the coming three weeks together, working on a big project." William finished. "You are what?!"Ulrich demanded. "You heard me. Besides it's unlikely that Yumi will ever respect you in _that_ way. She'd rather be with someone mature and not with a little kid."William referred to himself, when speaking of maturity. "Look who is talking."Ulrich responded. William tried to strike him with his fist, but Ulrich managed to dodge. William figured out beating up Ulrich would be a waste of time and walked away. Also Ulrich decided there were more important things to focus on. Annoyed and angered by his enemy, Ulrich went to search for Yumi.

Yumi walked out of the classroom, after having talked to the teacher about the subject and her partner for the school project. "Ulrich will be angered if I tell him that I have been partnered up with William."She thought. Suddenly someone fiercely grabbed her hand. She turned around only to see Ulrich across from her, but she didn't look in his eyes. "Ulrich I have to tell you something.."She began. "You are forced into working with William on a project and you are afraid I will kick him until he will leave you alone?"Ulrich continued. Yumi had to laugh at his remark. "I wouldn't call it 'forcing', but yes, how do you know?" She questioned him. "I ran into him a few minutes ago. He explained it all and tried to rub it in my face."Ulrich replied. "You didn't kick him, did you?"Yumi asked amazed by his words. "Well no, but the thought had crossed my mind."Ulrich said, then he looked serious.

"What is wrong?"Yumi asked. "I thought about something that Aelita said a few minutes ago. Then it struck me that it was the truth. After that all sorts of memories played in my head, including the recent events."Ulrich explained. "It sounds a bit vague, what is your point? What did Aelita tell you? Which memories? This remembers me of the inquisitive Odd."Yumi said. Ulrich frowned at the last remark, but decided to let it be. "They were memories about us. Aelita said that a lot had happened in that mission. However, according to her it led to good things. I agree on that."Ulrich paused for a few seconds, during which his eyes met Yumi's. "Time does make us realize."Ulrich said. Yumi smiled softly. She was left speechless by the words, just like the others had been a while ago.

After the short silence, Ulrich hesitantly took the initiative, leaned forward, gently touched Yumi's cheek and they finally shared their first sweet, soft, long-awaited kiss. It lasted only a few seconds, but the Lyoko warriors now knew how important every second was. And these two eternal 'good friends' were _finally_ scattered into pieces that linked them by their hearts.


End file.
